Hyper-Acuity Golf Club Sight Lines

ABSTRACT

Unlike earlier visual alignment aids, the present devices and methods may transfer focus away from a central sight line to a plurality of multicolored auxiliary sight lines. The multicolored sight lines are typically brightly colored to maintain the player&#39;s focus and help avoid head movement during initiation of the swing. Further, in some embodiments, the central and/or auxiliary sight lines are dashed, with the dashes either aligned or offset from one another. In this way, hyper-acuity becomes two-dimensional with sight lines running in a first dimension (e.g., from face-to-back, when markings are on the crown, or top-to-bottom, when markings are on the face) and cross lines, made up of inter-sight line dashes, running in a second dimension (e.g., from heal-to-toe).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/687,217, filed Nov. 18, 2019, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Hyper-acuity, in the context of visual perception, refers to the abilityof humans to recognize image features that are below the physicalresolution limit of the eye. The classic example of hyper-acuity is theability of humans to discern misalignment of a border at 5-10 timeslower resolution than expected based on distances between receptors onthe retina.

Golfers have implemented the hyper-acuity principle in alignment aids toensure the striking face of a golf club is squarely aligned with a golfball during shot setup. Examples of some visual alignment aids aredisclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,720,668 and 4,128,244, USPatent Pub. No. 2017/0036078, and German Utility Model DE202016007255U1.However, known devices do not take full advantage of the hyper-acuityprinciple.

SUMMARY

Unlike earlier visual alignment aids, the present devices and methodsmay transfer focus away from a central sight line to a plurality ofmulticolored auxiliary sight lines. The multicolored sight lines aretypically brightly colored to maintain the player's focus and help avoidhead movement during initiation of the swing. Further, in someembodiments, the central and/or auxiliary sight lines are dashed, withthe dashes either aligned or offset from one another. Optionally, thedashes form a line in a plane substantially parallel to the golf clubface. In this way, hyper-acuity becomes two-dimensional with sight linesrunning in a first dimension (e.g., from face-to-back, when markings areon the crown, or top-to-bottom, when markings are on the face) and crosslines, made up of inter-sight line dashes, running in a second dimension(e.g., from heal-to-toe).

In an aspect, a golf club comprises a shaft connected to a head, thehead having a substantially planar front face and a plurality of sightlines, wherein at least one of the sight lines is multicolored.

In an embodiment, the plurality of sight lines forms a two-dimensionalpattern. In an embodiment, the two-dimensional pattern comprises sightlines and cross lines. In an embodiment, the sight lines aresubstantially parallel to one another and the cross lines aresubstantially parallel to one another.

In an embodiment, the multicolored sight line comprises at least twocolors along a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, or both longitudinaland lateral axes of the multicolored sight line. In an embodiment, eachsight line has a width between 1 millimeter and 5 millimeters and anoverall length between 5 millimeters and 2 centimeters. In anembodiment, a lateral distance between sight lines is between about 2millimeters and 1 centimeter.

In an embodiment, colors of the multicolored sight line(s) are spatiallyseparate from one another. In an embodiment, colors of the multicoloredsight line(s) are touching and distinct. In an embodiment, colors of themulticolored sight line(s) are touching and indistinct.

In an embodiment, the multicolored sight lines comprise at least twocolors. In an embodiment, the sight lines are on a white background. Inan embodiment, sight lines are applied with no background other than theoriginal club material(s). In an embodiment, colors of the multicoloredsight lines are continuously alternated along a longitudinal axis of asight line.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of sight lines is substantiallylinear.

In an embodiment, the plurality of sight lines comprises a centralline(s) and at least two outer lines, the outer lines disposed on eitherside of the central line(s). In an embodiment, the outer lines are thesame single color or have the same multicolored pattern as one another.In an embodiment, the central line(s) is/are a single color ormulticolored. In an embodiment, the central line(s) and the outer linesmay be of the same or different widths relative to one another. In anembodiment, a width between the outer lines is less than or equal to awidth of a golf ball.

In an embodiment, a single colored sight line and/or a multicoloredsight line may be segmented, broken or dashed. In an embodiment,segments of a single color sight line and segments of a multicolor sightline are offset or aligned relative to one another. In an embodiment,segments of a single color sight line and segments of a multicolor sightline form a cross line extending from a heal of the club head to a toeof the club head. In an embodiment, a cross line is substantiallyparallel to a face of the club head.

In an embodiment, the golf club comprising the sight lines disclosedherein is a wood, a driver, an iron, a wedge, a hybrid or a putter.

In an embodiment, at least one of the sight lines is disposed on a crownportion of the golf club. In an embodiment, the plurality of sight linesis disposed on a crown portion of the golf club.

In an embodiment, at least one of the sight lines is disposed on a faceportion of the golf club. In an embodiment, the at least one sight linedisposed on the face portion of the golf club is at least partially orcompletely within a plurality of grooves on the face portion of the golfclub. In an embodiment, the at least one sight line is at leastpartially or completely disposed on bottom surfaces of the grooves onthe face portion of the golf club.

In an embodiment, the plurality of sight lines is disposed on a faceportion of the golf club. In an embodiment, the plurality of sight linesdisposed on the face portion of the golf club is at least partially orcompletely within a plurality of grooves on the face portion of the golfclub. In an embodiment, the plurality of sight lines is at leastpartially or completely disposed on bottom surfaces of the grooves onthe face portion of the golf club.

In an embodiment, the sight lines are formed of a material selected fromthe group consisting of paint, enamel, plastic, anodized metal,encapsulated liquid and combinations thereof.

In an embodiment, the sight lines are substantially flush with existingsurfaces of the golf club so as not to substantially interfere with dragdynamics of the golf club. For example, the sight lines may be inlaid inone or more surfaces of the golf club and/or painted onto one or moresurfaces of the golf club.

In an embodiment, the sight lines are substantially parallel to oneanother. In an embodiment, the sight lines are substantiallyperpendicular to the surface of the front face of the golf club. In anembodiment, the sight lines are greater than or less than 90 degreeswith respect to the front face of the golf club to provide alignmentcorrection for a slice, draw, fade or hook.

In an aspect, a method of making a golf club comprises providing a clubhead attached to a shaft, the club head having a substantially planarfront face and applying a plurality of sight lines to the club head,wherein at least one of the sight lines is multicolored.

Golf clubs disclosed herein may be manufactured by techniques known inthe art, including, but not limited to, forging; CNC machining; additivemanufacturing; laminating together layers of metal, wood, carbon fiber,plastic, foam and combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic showing a plurality of sight lines forming atwo-dimensional pattern of sight lines and aligned cross lines,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 1B is a schematic showing a plurality of sight lines forming atwo-dimensional pattern of sight lines and offset cross lines, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a driver comprising sight lines on acrown of the club head, according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show top perspective views of putters comprising sightlines on tops of the club heads, according to multiple embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of an iron comprising sight lines on aface portion of the club head with sight lines intersecting theplurality of grooves but not disposed within the grooves, according toan embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an iron comprising sight lines on aface portion and completely within a plurality of grooves of the clubhead, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of an iron comprising sight lines on aface portion and only bottom surfaces of grooves of the club head,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognizedmeaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, journalreferences and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The followingdefinitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context ofthis description.

As used herein, a “multicolored” line comprises at least two differentcolors that are distinguishable by the human eye.

As used herein, a “sight line” is a contiguous or broken line on a golfclub crown or face, where the sight line is oriented substantiallyparallel to a direction of intended ball travel.

As used herein, a “cross line” is a broken line formed by alignedsegments of at least two sight lines, the cross line being substantiallyperpendicular to a direction of intended ball travel. A space betweensegments forming the cross line is optionally occupied by non-conformingsegments of another sight line, e.g., a contiguous sight line or asegmented sight line having larger or smaller segments than thoseforming the cross line.

As used herein, a “two-dimensional pattern” comprises at least two sightlines and at least two cross lines.

As used herein, “aligned” describes the relative positions of objectseach having two exterior points or edges connectable by a set ofparallel lines, the parallel lines being substantially parallel orperpendicular to a direction of intended ball travel.

As used herein, “offset” describes the relative positions of two objectsthat are unaligned and non-intersecting. A two-dimensional pattern thatis “completely offset” excludes any physical portion of an unalignedobject from the area between aligned objects.

As used herein, “substantially” means plus or minus ten percent of thestated value.

“Proximal” and “distal” refer to the relative positions of two or moreobjects, planes or surfaces. For example, an object that is close inspace to a reference point relative to the position of another object isconsidered proximal to the reference point, whereas an object that isfurther away in space from a reference point relative to the position ofanother object is considered distal to the reference point.

The terms “direct and indirect” describe the actions or physicalpositions of one object relative to another object. For example, anobject that “directly” acts upon or touches another object does sowithout intervention from an intermediary. Contrarily, an object that“indirectly” acts upon or touches another object does so through anintermediary (e.g., a third object).

Exemplary alignment aid patterns can be seen in FIGS. 1-6, which aredescribed hereafter using reference numerals without parentheses for agenus, e.g., sight lines 102, and reference numerals with parenthesesfor species within the genus, e.g., outer sight line 102(2). Multipleitems within a figure may not be labeled for clarity. Dashed lines arefor illustrative purposes only; they should not be construed asdesignating feature boundaries.

FIG. 1A is a schematic showing a plurality of sight lines 102 forming atwo-dimensional pattern 100(1). Sight lines 102 include a dashed, singlecolored center sight line 102(1) and two dashed, multicolored outersight lines 102(2). As shown, sight line segments 104(1) and 104(2) ofouter sight lines 102(2) and sight line segments 106 of center sightline 102(1) are aligned to form a plurality of cross lines 108(1) and108(2). Both sight lines 102 and cross lines 108 allow a player tobenefit from hyper-acuity alignment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic showing a plurality of sight lines 102 forming atwo-dimensional pattern 100(5). Sight lines 102 include a dashed, singlecolored center sight line 102(5) and two dashed, multicolored outersight lines 102(7). As shown, sight line segments 104(5) and 104(7) ofouter sight lines 102(7) and sight line segments 106 of center sightline 102(5) are offset and to form a plurality of cross lines 108(5) and108(7). Both sight lines 102 and cross lines 108 allow a player tobenefit from hyper-acuity alignment.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a golf club driver 200 comprising aplurality of sight lines 202 on a crown 204 of the club head 206. Thesight lines 202 include a solid, single-colored center sight line 202(1)and two dashed, multicolored outer sight lines 202(2) comprising thesame colors and patterns as one another. As shown, the dashed segmentsof the outer sight lines 202(2) are aligned to form cross lines 208(1)and 208(2).

FIGS. 3A and 3B show top perspective views of putters 300(1) and 300(2)comprising sight lines 302 on tops 304 of the club heads 306. Bothfigures show three, dashed sight lines 302 with offset segments 308 on awhite background 310. The two-dimensional patterns shown differ in thenumber of dashes in each sight line 302 and the multicolored patterns ofthe outer sight lines 302(2).

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of an iron 400(1) comprising sightlines 402(1) and 402(2) on a face portion 404 of the club head 406 withsight lines 402 intersecting the plurality of grooves 408 but notdisposed within the grooves 408.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an iron 400(2) comprising sightlines 402(3) and 402(4) on a face portion 404 and completely within aplurality of grooves 408 of the club head 406.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of an iron 400(3) comprising sightlines 402 on a face portion 404 and only bottom surfaces 410 of grooves408 of the club head 406, such that the colors on the bottom surfaces410 are viewable by a player standing over the golf club.

Any of the sight lines shown in FIGS. 4-6 may comprise aligned or offsetdashes that create cross lines. For example, an offset embodiment maycontain portions of outer sight lines in odd-numbered grooves andportions of a central sight line(s) in even-numbered grooves.

STATEMENTS REGARDING INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE AND VARIATIONS

All references cited throughout this application, for example patentdocuments including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patentapplication publications; and non-patent literature documents or othersource material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties, as though individually incorporated by reference.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention inthe use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents ofthe features shown and described or portions thereof, but it isrecognized that various modifications are possible within the scope ofthe invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although theinvention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments,exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variationof the concepts herein disclosed can be resorted to by those skilled inthe art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to bewithin the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of usefulembodiments of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that the invention can be carried out using a large number ofvariations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forthin the present description. As will be apparent to one of skill in theart, methods and devices useful for the present methods and devices caninclude a large number of optional composition and processing elementsand steps.

When a group of substituents is disclosed herein, it is understood thatall individual members of that group and all subgroups are disclosedseparately. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, allindividual members of the group and all combinations and subcombinationspossible of the group are intended to be individually included in thedisclosure.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural reference unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “agroove” includes a plurality of such notches and equivalents thereofknown to those skilled in the art, and so forth. As well, the terms “a”(or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeablyherein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising”, “including”,and “having” can be used interchangeably. The expression “of any ofclaims XX-YY” (wherein XX and YY refer to claim numbers) is intended toprovide a multiple dependent claim in the alternative form, and in someembodiments is interchangeable with the expression “as in any one ofclaims XX-YY.”

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skillin the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used inthe practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methodsand materials are described. Nothing herein is to be construed as anadmission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosureby virtue of prior invention.

Whenever a range is given in the specification, for example, a range ofintegers, a temperature range, a time range, a composition range, orconcentration range, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well asall individual values included in the ranges given are intended to beincluded in the disclosure. As used herein, ranges specifically includethe values provided as endpoint values of the range. As used herein,ranges specifically include all the integer values of the range. Forexample, a range of 1 to 100 specifically includes the end point valuesof 1 and 100. It will be understood that any subranges or individualvalues in a range or subrange that are included in the descriptionherein can be excluded from the claims herein.

As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous and can be usedinterchangeably with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,”and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional,unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of”excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claimelement. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not excludematerials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novelcharacteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms“comprising”, “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” can bereplaced with either of the other two terms. The inventionillustratively described herein suitably can be practiced in the absenceof any element or elements or limitation or limitations which is/are notspecifically disclosed herein.

All art-known functional equivalents of materials and methods areintended to be included in this disclosure. The terms and expressionswhich have been employed are used as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms andexpressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, but it is recognized that variousmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.Thus, it should be understood that although the invention has beenspecifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features,modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed can beresorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications andvariations are considered to be within the scope of this invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf club comprising: a shaft connected to ahead, the head having a planar front face; a plurality of parallelgrooves in the planar front face running from a heal to a toe of thehead, the plurality of parallel grooves and material between theparallel grooves defining a grooved area; and a plurality of sight lineswithin the grooved area; wherein at least one of the sight lines ismulticolored.
 2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein each of the sightlines is oriented perpendicular to the plurality of parallel grooves. 3.The golf club of claim 1, wherein each of the sight lines is disposed onthe material between the parallel grooves.
 4. The golf club of claim 3,wherein each of the sight lines is disposed in the parallel grooves. 5.The golf club of claim 4, wherein each of the sight lines is at leastpartially or completely disposed on bottom surfaces of the parallelgrooves.
 6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein each of the sight lines isdisposed in the parallel grooves.
 7. The golf club of claim 6, whereineach of the sight lines is at least partially or completely disposed onbottom surfaces of the parallel grooves.
 8. The golf club of claim 1,wherein colors of the multicolored sight line(s) are spatially separatefrom one another.
 9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofsight lines comprises a central line and at least two outer lines. 10.The golf club of claim 9, wherein the outer lines have the samemulticolored pattern.
 11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the golfclub is a wood, a driver, an iron, a wedge, a hybrid or a putter.
 12. Agolf club comprising: a shaft connected to a head, the head having aplanar front face; a plurality of parallel grooves in the planar frontface running from a heal to a toe of the head, the plurality of parallelgrooves and material between the parallel grooves defining a groovedarea; and at least one sight line within the grooved area; wherein theat least one of the sight line is multicolored.
 13. The golf club ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one sight line is oriented perpendicularto the plurality of parallel grooves.
 14. The golf club of claim 12,wherein the at least one sight line is disposed on the material betweenthe parallel grooves.
 15. The golf club of claim 14, wherein the atleast one sight line is disposed in the parallel grooves.
 16. The golfclub of claim 15, wherein the at least one sight line is at leastpartially or completely disposed on bottom surfaces of the parallelgrooves.
 17. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the at least one sightline is disposed in the parallel grooves.
 18. The golf club of claim 17,wherein the at least one sight line is at least partially or completelydisposed on bottom surfaces of the parallel grooves.
 19. The golf clubof claim 11, wherein colors of the multicolored sight line are spatiallyseparate from one another.
 20. The golf club of claim 11, wherein thegolf club is a wood, a driver, an iron, a wedge, a hybrid or a putter.